Country: Greece (EL), Europe
Research project: FlowTech
Organisation: Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters (IMBRIW) of the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR)
Funding: Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (H.F.R.I.)
Duration: 2021 to 2024
Action: Environmental flow estimation using eco-hydrodynamic modelling and cutting-edge technology
Study Area Size: 9.287 m2
Location: Aoos river within Vikos-Aoos National Park
Value of the case: A Physical Habitat Simulation Approach applied in Aoos river, Greece (EL), incorporating state of the art technology with the main objective to achieve fast, repeatable and highly accurate results regarding the fish habitat measurements. The study area is of particular importance as a part of Natura 2000 ecological network (GR2130002) and one of UNESCO Geoparks hosting a diverse wildlife and vegetation zones.
Stakeholders involved: district forest service offices, regional and local authorities, nature protection organizations, organizations and individuals involved with ecotourism, dam operators
Sectors involved: water resources, municipality planning, research, policy makers
Innovations being applied: Video analysis and data collection for fish habitat measurements consist of:
- Aerial images with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with Real-time kinematic positioning system (RTK) to develop a high-precision Digital Terrain Model (DTM) with photogrammetric techniques
- Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) and Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV) to map physical parameters of habitat (depth, velocity) and discharge estimations
- Underwater video stereoscopy for the identification of fish habitat